FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Department of Defense’s school system touted the video game Minecraft as a tool for teaching social-emotional learning, a Trojan horse for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A Department of Defense Education Activity middle-school teacher sent an email to staff encouraging them to use Minecraft to teach kids to “develop important [social-emotional learning] skills like collaboration, communication, empathy, mindfulness, social management, coping skills, self-awareness, and problem-solving.”
While claiming to equip children with the ability to manage emotions, feel empathy for others, and maintain positive relationships, social-emotional learning integrates critical race theory throughout the education system.
During his first two weeks in office, Trump issued executive orders prohibiting radical gender ideology, critical race theory, and diversity, equity, and inclusion instruction from federally funded American education.
That includes schools on military bases run by the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity, which operates 161 schools across 11 foreign countries and in seven U.S. states and two territories, and serves more than 67,000 military-connected students.
The teacher said Minecraft teaches collaboration and teamwork, self-management, empathy, problem solving and critical thinking, and safe social interactions.
“Role-playing and storytelling in Minecraft allow students to experience different viewpoints, improving emotional awareness,” he wrote to employees.
The Department of Defense Education Activity agency renamed social-emotional learning programs as “resilience,” according to a Jan. 6 meeting recording obtained and previously reported by The Daily Signal.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made it clear that he would enforce the president’s ban on DEI at the Department of Defense.
“The Pentagon will comply, immediately,” Hegseth said. “No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.”
Prior to Trump’s executive orders banning gender ideology and critical race theory, Pentagon schools were under fire for pornographic LGBTQ+ library books and age-inappropriate Pride Month celebrations.
School libraries in the Department of Defense Education Activity offered widely banned books with sexually graphic content such as “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” “Sex: A Book for Teens,” and “This Book is Gay,” Fox News Digital reported.